Diontae Johnson is coming off an impressive season, but here’s why the Pittsburgh Steelers may want to hold off on giving him a lucrative contract extension.
Nobody should be complaining about the season that Diontae Johnson had for the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2021. In an offense that lacked both splash and consistency, Johnson was one of the only bright spots among a struggling unit last year.
Johnson participated in mandatory minicamp, but prior to that, he showed up halfway through voluntary team activities. Some still predict he will attempt to ‘hold in’ during training camp this year.
It’s no secret that Johnson wants a lucrative new contract that will pay him like one of the top wide receivers in the NFL. While he might prove to be worth this, here are four major advantages of waiting on a Diontae Johnson contract extension:
1. Johnson could have a down year
Though I think that he has improved significantly since 2020, having a down year is something that certainly isn’t out of the question for Diontae Johnson. In fact, his career has been a rollercoaster ride so far.
After showing ample promise as a rookie in 2019, Johnson led the NFL with 13 dropped passes during his second season and was briefly benched as a result. Last year, we didn’t see nearly as much of this. However, it’s interesting to note that all 5 of his dropped passes came over the final 6 games of the season, via Pro Football Reference.
In addition, Johnson surpassed 76 receiving yards just once during this span, and he didn’t exactly finish the season on a strong note. Johnson also dropped two key passes during the playoff game against the Chiefs. I would hate for the Steelers to make him one of the highest-paid receivers in the league if he ultimately ends up reverting back to the inconsistent WR we saw in 2020.
2. Steelers WR depth is suddenly very strong
Following the 2021 season, it looked like a no-brainer to get a deal done with Diontae Johnson. Now I’m not so sure. While I still think it’s something that is high on the priority list for the Steelers, we can now point to excellent depth as a reason Pittsburgh doesn’t need to overpay for the young wide receiver.
A few months back, the Steelers didn’t have another capable WR option outside of Chase Claypool, while JuJu Smith-Schuster, James Washington, and Ray-Ray McCloud had each signed with a new squad early in free agency.
Fast forward to now, and the Steelers instantly have some quality depth with options like George Pickens, Calvin Austin, Miles Boykin, and Gunner Olszewski. This isn’t even mentioning former Bears’ second-round pick, Anthony Miller, who Pittsburgh picked up during the season last year.
While Pickens and Austin are unproven, they both possess excellent upside. Pickens, specifically, projects as an ‘X’ receiver, and the 21-year-old has the potential to fill Johnson’s shoes after the 2022 season. The depth at receiver is another reason the Steelers can wait before handing a blank check to Diontae Johnson.
3. New quarterback may prefer other options in the passing game
One of the biggest question marks when it comes to the Steelers this year is how is there offense going to look with a new quarterback at the helm. More specifically, how will the new quarterback distribute targets.
Though Ben Roethlisberger clearly favored Diontae Johnson over anyone else in the passing game, that might not necessarily be the case for Mitch Trubisky or Kenny Pickett. While Johnson’s ability to quickly separate makes him a pretty safe bet to once again lead the team in targets, Trubisky and Pickett may have other preferences.
Pickett, specifically, excelled at throwing the ball over the middle of the field during his time at Pitt. Though Johnson has a similar build to his former favorite college target, Jordan Addison, Johnson doesn’t win often between the hashes and he does the vast majority of his work on the outside.
Logically, it seems like getting an extension done with Johnson is only going to help the next QB, but we do need to take into account that throwing to a 5’10 1/2” receiver outside the hashes may not be their forte.
4. Still hope for a deal after the 2022 season
If the Steelers don’t get an extension done with Diontae Johnson before the start of the 2022 season, there is still hope that they could retain him. Historically, Pittsburgh doesn’t like to negotiate with players during the season, as they have bigger fish to fry. However, it may not be a bad thing to let him test the market first.
Last year, the arrow was pointed down for Diontae Johnson over the final seven games of the season and into the playoffs. If he has an up and down season in 2022, perhaps his market falls through in free agency.
It’s important to consider that there aren’t a lot of teams out there who are willing to pay elite money to small, outside receivers. Once you factor in Johnson’s inconsistent career and his size, the number of teams who would be willing to fork up $20 million or more per year for him in free agency could go down even further.
I know all it takes is one team to pounce on the opportunity. If he does end up having a very good year, the Steelers could always place the franchise tag on him to make sure he sticks around in 2023. However, I wouldn’t say that all hope is lost of retaining him if they don’t get a deal done this year.
At the end of the day, I do think that the Steelers find a way to extend Diontae Johnson, but based on these factors, I think you can make a case to wait on giving him a new deal.